2D channel-clogging biofilm model

Abstract:

We present a model of biofilm growth in a long channel where the biomass is assumed
to have the rheology of a viscous polymer solution. We examine the competition
between growth and erosion-like surface detachment due to the flow. A particular focus
of our investigation is the effect of the biofilm growth on the fluid flow in the pores,
and the issue of whether biomass can grow sufficiently to shut off fluid flow through
the pores, thus clogging the pore space. Net biofilm growth is coupled along the pore
length via flow rate and nutrient transport in the pore flow. Our 2D model extends
existing results on stability of 1D steady state biofilm thicknesses to show that, in
the case of flows driven by a fixed pressure drop, full clogging of the pore can indeed
happen in certain cases dependent on the functional form of the detachment term.